November Book Report

The big, wet, dark! November! It’s here. 

During this time of year, I always have aspirations of immense productivity.

"I'm going to do all the things I wrote on a list over the summer but didn't want to actually do then!"

But instead, I usually end up reading a lot and going to bed early instead. November is my favorite month for reading. Daylight is rapidly fading, temperatures are dropping, the air is getting increasingly damp – all signs point to blankets, cozy socks, family snooze cuddles, and excessive library patronage.

Here I’m sharing a bit about a handful of books I read this month – two non-fiction and three fiction. I’lll also share my honorable mention list – books I read but that didn’t make the cut for a full share. 

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Disclaimer: potential spoiler alert! I may leak some story elements in the below reviews – continue at your own risk. Also, I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. If you use the links below to make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam

Ok, I finished this on November 1st so technically, read most of it in October. But I loved it so much it can’t go unmentioned. I began reading this the week I returned to full-time work after 7 months of maternity leave so reading about how successful working mothers make the most of their time could not have been more well-timed. 

Vanderkam hooked me with the opening lines: 

“The berry season is short. So how full, exactly, do I intend to fill the box? Or, if we slice away the metaphor, we could just ask this: what does the good life look like for me?”

And pulled me in deeper with each page. She shares data-driven insights through narrative stories which was a compelling combination that I loved. The biggest takeaway for me was that other people are doing personal, non-work things during their working hours. This is something I have always internally struggled with so to be encouraged so specifically in this new season of working mom Liz was incredible.

I know this is specific to me; perhaps not everyone has the freedom and flexibility that is shared in Vanderkam’s book – she does detail the limitations of the specific population she analyzed. For me, however, to know how other working mothers think about and manage their time was eye-opening. 

After I finished reading, I began tracking my time using her log templates. I’ve done this before but not since becoming a parent and just as she says, “observing the thing changes the thing”. As I began observing my time, I became more intentional about how I wanted to use it. 

If you are anything like me (and if you’re here reading this, my guess is you might be a little bit!), I recommend this time-tracking exercise! It may illuminate some things that surprise you about how you spend your days. I also really recommend the book.  

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

My reading has had a very *rom-com* moment this year. Perhaps it’s because I have a baby and my reading time has fewer deep-thinking brain cells to dedicate to the cause? Or I’m romanticizing other versions of an adult life without a baby? Or I just really like fluff rom-com stories? 

Anyway, I loved this one and honestly, have loved most all of the rom-com books I’ve devoured this year. They are charming, silly, quick to read, and just make me feel warm and fuzzy. I go into them knowing this, do not anticipate major plot surprises, and finish feeling satisfied. Not life-changing but a worthwhile endeavor all the same. 

However, I kept getting deja vu while reading Funny You Should Ask… “have I read this before!?” And I finally realized that this is the 3rd book I’ve read in the past few months where the female protagonist has been a dowdy writer and her male counterpart is a celebrity hunk. As I said, no surprises in any of the plotlines so we all know how all 3 of the stories end, and yes! It’s wonderful! 

But did I need to read the same story three times in a row? I’m thinking not. Funny You Should Ask had the unfortunate luck of being last in the trio of my reading so therefore, I enjoyed it the least. However, all were delightful and I would recommend each one of them if this storyline appeals. 

Others in this vein were: 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

I listen to the entire audiobook collection once a year and this just happens to be where I am in the series right now. Jim Dale in my ears reading Harry Potter is like the softest comfort blanket known to man. He helps me fold laundry, do dishes, stay sane in traffic, and sometimes puts me to sleep when I’m anxious and my mind is reeling. No need to say anything else here – if you’re not already a Harry Potter fan, this is not the place for me to sway you. You can read more about my own Harry Potter education here. What I WILL say, though, is that if you are an HP fan and haven’t read the series via audio yet, you are missing out on a glorious masterpiece. 

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

I struggle with boundaries around technology use. Especially with my iPhone, I waver constantly between wanting it always in my hand and wanting to throw it out the window. I watch myself pick it up mindlessly when I don’t want to be using it as if I’m floating above my body and it is so frustrating. Last year, when I read Stolen Focus, it was freeing to learn that it’s not just me! Technology, devices, social media apps, and especially our smartphones were created to be addicting and gosh, it all works on me really, really well. 

It’s something that I’ve been actively working on for a few years – setting and trying to hold boundaries around my own technology use – but the motivation has really ramped up now that we have a baby who, at 9 months old is mesmerized by the bright screen of a phone and is clearly watching our behavior and learning, “that bright screen is something you clearly value! I want to play with it, too!” So my task has a new purpose. I want to model what I actually value for my daughter, including technology use that is reasonable and sustainable. I want to continue taking advantage of the benefits that technology brings us! But in a way that enhances the kind of life I want to live. 

In this tidy little book, Andy Crouch outlines clear rules for technology and simple steps for implementing them in a dynamic, child-filled home. He’s also humble in recognizing the challenge of this endeavor and ways to return to or tweak the task over time as your family grows and changes. I especially appreciated the encouragement of not needing to do it perfectly all the time – messing up, starting over, and changing strategies are all ways we are learning and growing together as a family. 

“..learning to be wise and courageous is what family is really about.”

All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby

A thriller set in Virginia, on SPL peak picks, AND the TOB long list so an easy decision for me to pick up. The suspense of the crime was compounded by quick chapters which sucked me in quickly. I got wrapped up in the story and was devouring pages only to realize by the final third that I wasn’t entirely sure who some of the characters were. Too many people, some with nicknames, for me to keep track of and I’m not sure all were essential to the main plotline. Once I finished and I was sitting with the resolution, I wasn’t convinced of the path to get there. There was too much responding to gut feelings without explanation which made it hard to empathize with the characters and their actions. 

Overall, the suspense kept me sucked in for two days and pulled me out of my rom-com reading rut (see Funny You Should Ask above) and for that, I loved the reading experience. 

Honorable Mention

I’ll Show Myself Out: Stories that are funny and highly recommended by friends whose reading recommendations I trust. But just wasn’t for me right now – perhaps because I’m living many of the scenarios in real life? 

The Cuckoo’s Calling: Also recommended (many times) by trusted recommenders but the story dragged on a bit for me. May revisit others in the series but not high on my TBR list.